The search for neural progenitor cells: prospects for the therapy of neurodegenerative disease

The etiology of many neurodegenerative diseases has been identified in rece nt years. Treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disease could focus on one or more steps that lead to cell loss. In the past decade, cell therapy and/or ex vivo gene therapy have emerged as possible strategies for the tre atment of neurodegenerative diseases. The ability to grow CNS-derived neura l progenitor cells using growth factors has been extremely useful to study diverse phenomena including lineage choice, commitment and differentiation. By virtue of their biological properties and their presence in the adult C NS, neural progenitors represent good candidates for multiple cell-based th erapies for neural diseases. Further identification of the molecules that d irect the differentiation of adult neural progenitors may allow their activ ation in vivo to induce self-repair. This review addresses the nature, dist ribution and regulation of neural stem cells and the potential for applying these cells to Both structural CNS repair and gene therapy.